


Into the Cold, Dark Night

by blackbirdpuzzlepiece



Category: Original Work
Genre: Dysfunctional Family, Family Drama, Murder Mystery, Mystery, Suspense, Thriller
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-03
Updated: 2019-03-04
Packaged: 2019-11-08 22:30:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,683
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17989706
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blackbirdpuzzlepiece/pseuds/blackbirdpuzzlepiece
Summary: Jay grew up hearing stories about the house in the woods.When someone new moves into the house and a killer strikes multiple times with the only connection being Jay...what does it mean? Why does she hear screaming in the woods? And what does it all have to do with her stalker, Kelly, another new man in town.





	1. Chapter 1

I was standing in my backyard staring at the house through the woods. I could only see part of it, but it stood dark and foreboding. A chilly autumn wind added to the mysterious mood, making me shiver. It's single tower rising high into the sky, matching the trees with it's height. The tower seemed odd on such a small house, but no one had ever questioned it. I had noticed a car going back to the house the day before. It was hard to miss a car pulling down the winding driveway since at some points the headlights shown straight into my back yard. Though it had been vacant for years. Ever since I was a little girl. Now, granted I was only sixteen now, but still it'd been empty since I was five. So eleven years. I guess that isn't as long as I thought, but anyway. Kids in the neighborhood used to tell stories about how it was haunted. I ignored them of course, there were no such things as ghosts, but the house still gave me the creeps. I'd been closer to it before. Once when I was younger. I'd been curious and one of the neighbor boys had dared me, so of course I went. The house was smallish. Probably about the size of a normal two story house. You know those cookie cutter types that they make for cul-de-sacs. But it was like time forgot it. It had ivy crawling up the side and peeling blue paint. And then there was the tower. Cinder blocks jutting up as high as the trees and connected by a weird little hallway that made the house look like it had a bad growth on the side of it. I'm sure the house used to be very beautiful, back when it was first built, but then it just looked...sad. Like it had seen a lot. You know how sometimes you just get that feeling around buildings...it was like that. A strange mix of terror and sadness that I just couldn't wrap my head around at the age of nine. So I ran home. Seven years later, just the thought of it standing all alone way back in the woods made me shudder.  


Anyway, I thought I saw a car drive up there yesterday. It wasn't just a car either it was one of those really nice-like almost sports car- cars. It was bright yellow which is how I noticed it while I was taking the dog out. I hadn't had time to ponder on it at the time because I was getting ready to leave for work. I work at Family Video, which is a movie rental store, near where I live. It's close enough that I can walk most of the time, unless the weather is really bad. When that happens my friend-and co-worker- Kelsey Vanderman picks me up.  


Today though it's Saturday so I don't have to work. Saturday and Sunday are my only days off. I have a special permit to work forty hours even though I'm under eighteen. It's because I'm emancipated. Which means a court declared me an adult before I turned eighteen. Why you ask...well because my parents died. They were in a car accident. I was an only child, but I was very responsible child so they just emancipated me instead throwing me in foster care for two years. But I digress, Saturday was one of my days off so I was spending the day trying to figure out what was going on with the house in the woods.  


I was broke out of my deep thoughts about whether a recluse who wanted to hunt or a demolition company executive was on that property yesterday by my crotchety neighbor Stewart Daniels. Mr. Daniels had been a nice enough man when I was younger, but when I was about twelve he had a stroke and did a complete one eighty. He became angry and bitter and...well...crotchety. “It's not polite to stare.” he called from over his privacy fence that he built himself-despite his doctor's orders. He couldn't even see over the fence, so I don't even know how he knew I was staring.  


I rolled my eyes before turning to face him – well his fence. “I'm sorry if I bothered you Mr. Daniels.”  


“You didn't bother me, but I'm sure you're bothering whoever has moved into that house. Don't be so nosy.”  


“Of course, Mr. Daniels.” I said not wanting to start a fight. “I'll be sure to apologize if I meet them.” I headed back into the house so I could avoid talking to him anymore. In all honesty I couldn't stand the man. He just got on my nerves. I sighed and sat down in my favorite chair in the living room. It was the one my dad always used to sit in before he died. Sometimes, if I closed my eyes and concentrated I could still smell his cologne. I missed my parents...a lot. More than I made it seem like. I had to pretend I was okay. For my own sake.  


My mind drifted back to the house in the woods; more specifically the stories the kids used to tell about it. About the history of the house. The story was that once a long time ago a family used to live there. A mom, dad, son, and daughter. The mom died when the daughter was born and the dad went crazy with grief and killed himself and the baby girl by jumping out the window of the tower. The son got home from school and found wild dogs feeding on their bodies. When the dogs heard him coming they jumped on him and tore him to pieces. Of course they would always end the story with and on full moons you can still hear the boy screaming in pain. The story was stupid. There were no wild dogs anywhere near here. Nor had there ever been. The story was impossible; plain and simple. I'd known that even as a child.  


I got up from the chair and started making myself some supper. I wasn't much of a cook, but I could make a mean box mix macaroni and cheese. I put the water on to boil and sighed. Maybe somebody really nice was moving into the house. Then I'd have a neighbor that wasn't as old as the dinosaurs. I hated the neighborhood I lived in, but the house was already paid for when my parents were alive. I dumped the macaroni in the water as it started boil. I moved around the island to the fridge to grab the milk for making the cheese powder stuff. I was always impatient so waiting for the macaroni to finish cooking was always the hardest part for me. I sighed when the timer finally went off. Normally, I'd play some music and sing to pass the time, but I just wasn't feeling it today. I tried a noodle and made sure they were cooked well enough before turning off the water and draining the noodles. I mixed the cheese stuff onto the noodles and put some in a bowl. I moved the rest of the pot to the back of the stove so our...my dog Steel couldn't get it. Steel was a Rhodesian Ridgeback. My dad had gotten Steel when he was a puppy. He was named after the Pittsburgh Steelers, my dad's favorite football team. Steel plodded over to me, deciding to wake up from his nap. I checked his water and food and then scratched behind his ears. “How ya doin' boy?” I knew he wouldn't answer back, but he was the only one here with me. I went back to the living room and started Netflix up on my Wii.  


The rest of the day I spent watching Netflix and writing on my computer. I write poetry, and I'm trying to get published. So far no luck with that though. I tried not to take it too much to heart though. It wasn't me it was them. I just had to keep telling myself that. One day I'd find the right publisher. It might not be for a while, but in the end it would all be worth it.  


I brushed my teeth and decided to soak in the tub before I climbed into bed. I climbed in and just let the water soak away my tension from my long work week. It wasn't like I did anything hard, but it could still be stressful since I didn't really like to talk to people and my job required a lot of talking to people. Stupid-I know- that I'd taken it, but it paid well so I couldn't complain too much. I sighed, closing my eyes breathing in the scent of peppermint from the epsom salt I'd put in the bath.  


I must've fallen asleep because I was woken by screaming coming from the general direction of the woods. I gasped and sat bolt upright in the, now cold, water. The bathroom was the closest part of the house to the woods so I got up and opened the small window so I could hear better. I told myself it was just my imagination. I was getting way to worked up about who was moving into this house. It was nothing. I drained the tub, still no screaming. I started to relax, putting on my fuzzy pajamas and getting ready to dry my hair when I heard it again. A scream; coming from the house in the woods. I felt a shiver run down my spine. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up. I slammed the window closed and locked it, running to my room and diving into bed. I curled into a ball, holding the stuffed dragon I'd had since I was five, tight to my chest. I could feel my heart pounding. Another scream ripped through the silent night. I tried to ignore it and go to sleep, but sleep was no where to be found.  


The next morning, I made myself a double strong cup of coffee. The screaming hadn't stopped until nearly five this morning and I hadn't slept even after that too afraid of what might happen. I had made up my mind to go one day this week on my lunch break to the library here in town and look into the local history of the house. Maybe there was some truth to that silly story the kids used to tell. I knew I was probably overreacting. There was probably some logical explanation for what happened. I mean, there were no such things as ghosts. Maybe there was some sort of animal that made a sound like that and it had moved into the woods. Or the movers of the person who was moving into that house was into Screamo music and from here it just sounded like screams of heart-wrenching pain. Okay that one was a stretch, but I needed to convice myself it was something.  
I spent all of my Sunday drinking coffee too scared to fall asleep. I took Steel out to do his business twice, holding a death grip on his leash. I wasn't sure what I thought would happen, but I definitely wasn't taking any chances that it could. The first time was in the morning and nothing happened. After that I calmed down a little. We went inside and I cleaned for a while, made some lunch. I got Steel his second feeding and we listened to some music while I read a new book I'd gotten from Kelsey a couple weeks ago. The second time was around sunset. I could practically here my heart thundering in my chest. I looked around for any sign of danger. There were no animals. Steel wasn't growling at anyone. He was a very good guard dog despite how friendly he was. If he saw anything the fur on his back would be up in an instant. I didn't see anything so I tried to calm myself down...A twig snapped in the woods. My eyes instantly darted to the woods. I scanned the trees for something...or someone. My eyes came to rest on a man in a black hoodie and then moved on. My brain instantly processed what it'd seen and went back to where the man was, but now he was no where to be seen. I thought I might have a heart attack right there in my backyard. I dragged Steel into the house. I don't think he'd finished yet, but I didn't care. I couldn't stay out there anymore. I closed the door and locked the knob, deadbolt, and chain bolt. Normally, I would've only done the knob and the deadbolt, but I felt like I need the extra security tonight. My mind tried to process that some man had been standing in the woods...watching me. I couldn't figure out why. I wasn't anything special. Didn't serial killers usually go for the thin supermodel girls? Or was that just another lie perpetuated by Hollywood? I was five foot five and about 220 pounds. My hair was mousy brown, but I dyed it multiple colors. I had a tattoo on my shoulder and my ears were pierced five times. Like I said nothing special. So why had he been watching me?  


I made myself a sandwich, but I couldn't eat it. My stomach was in knots still from the thought of the man in the woods. I thought about just going to the library now to do my research, but then I remembered it was Sunday and the library was closed. Plus I decided I really didn't want to be walking when there might be a killer through the woods. I tried to take my mind off everything by watching Netflix. I started Friends. It's one of my favorite shows, as I watched Ross and Rachel get together again my eyelids fluttered closed and I drifted off into sleep. In my dreams the man in the woods broke into my house. He slit my throat and killed Steel. Kelsey found my body later and the police ruled it an accident. I became a ghost in my own home, forced to scream all night like the boy in the woods.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

I woke up with a start. I could hear my alarm going off in my bedroom. I got up and showered quickly before starting to get ready for work. Thoughts of the dream never leaving me. It felt so real. I tried to avoid as many windows in my house as I could, which was hard because the house was pretty much all windows. I was terrified he'd jump through the window and slit my throat with a shard of glass. I couldn't help but feel like someone was watching my every move. I kept seeing the man from yesterday everywhere. When I got out of the shower I thought I saw the edge of his hoodie. Then when I went to the kitchen I could've sworn I heard the door settle closed. I knew it was all in my head, but it felt so real making my heart race even as I went about my day. I put a plain bagel in the toaster, as I went to put on my shoes. I sat down in one of the dining room chairs and slid my black converse on my feet. I had just finished tying the second one when my bagel popped. I went to the kitchen and took it out of the toaster; covering it in one of the fancy cream cheeses. Garden something. It was my favorite. I started my two block walk to Family Video; the feeling of dread never leaving me. I tried to calm myself as I soaked in the beauty of my walk. I'd always loved the small town I lived in. It was almost untouched by construction and work of that sort. I loved it. The trees grew tall and green on either side of the road. They reached toward the sky making an emerald canopy for me as I walked to work. It was hard to be anxious in such tranquility. Eventually, I made it to work – though I took my time. I went in the door in the back. The break room was simple enough. White walls, white floor, a couple vending machines. A small counter with a sink and microwave on one wall and the fridge on the other. There was a white plastic table in the middle of the room with four chairs around it. Not that four people ever had lunch at the same time in this line of work. Most days four people didn't even work at the same time. I turned and entered my card number to clock in before going to fridge and putting my lunch bag inside. I made a mental note to tell someone to clean out the fridge if they had a chance on their shift. Or maybe I'd just do it later. We'd have to see how busy it got. I headed out onto the floor to wait for my first customer. 

My job is fairly simple. I work at a movie store so I help people find movies, work the cash register, and return movies to their places on the floor. I think my favorite part of my job other than the fact that we only ever really get business on the weekends is that I can watch movies at work. On six TVs no less. We're allowed to watch movies...well have a movie playing while we work. But like I said people hardly ever come in during the week so we can usually watch uninterrupted. If I'm working with other people we take turns choosing the movie, but this morning it was just me. Which is definitely the way I prefer it. I mean not that I dislike my other co-workers. I quite enjoy them, but I'm more of a loner. At least, since my parents died anyway. 

I put on the movie Storks. It's about a stork and a human girl who have to deliver a baby to her family. It's quite a cute adventure. It'd become one of my favorite movies lately and it always made me smile, and right now I needed to smile. I took a pop from the cooler that we had in our little concessions area. It sat right in front of the checkout area. So that way when you were waiting in line you could look for sweets or drinks to have with your movie. We had all sorts of candy and ice cream. As well as other things. I mean, I can't really blame the company. Movie rentals were slowly becoming obsolete – though not as much in our small town – and they had to make their money somehow. “Other than their employees,” I thought to myself as I put the money for my pop in the register. I just really needed some caffeine. 

When my lunch break rolled around Kelsey came in to cover for me and join me for the rest of the afternoon. I quickly went back to the break room and grabbed my lunch box out of the fridge. I ate my ham sandwich quickly since food wasn't allowed in the library. I wanted to make sure I had plenty of time to do my research and I only got a half hour for lunch. I walked about a half a block to get to the library. It wasn't as pretty of a walk. Since it was kind of the middle of the town. So there was a bit more hustle and bustle like in a normal town. It wasn't very quiet or peaceful. At the same time though it was nothing like a big city. No honking horns or traffic jams. No rude people brushing past you or things like that. I waved at people I knew wanting to be polite but keeping my mission in mind. I had to get to the library. I couldn't help but feel like there was someone following me, but I ignored it. I was just too on edge right now. The caffeine hadn't helped with that problem. If anything it made it worse. I really needed to relax. I told myself so mentally. Though I didn't listen. My mind started to drift to ways I could try and help myself relax. Maybe it was time to use that spa gift card I got for Christmas from Kelsey. It was for a little spa in Catanauk. Catanauk is a little town about ten miles west of where I live. It's a bigger town, but still not as big as somewhere like Kalamazoo or Detroit. Maybe a good weekend away would help me clear my thoughts – get me to relax. I could focus on something other than work and screaming in the woods. I made a mental note to look into it later. 

I walked into the library. It was one of my favorite places in town. The desk was right inside the doors. To the right was all the children's books as well as the grade school chapter books. To the left were the adult and young adult books. Straight back, behind the desk was the computers and reference books like the encyclopedias and dictionaries. I walked up to the front desk. “Excuse me?” I said getting the attention of the older librarian who had been checking books back in before I walked up. She stood up and walked over to me in teetering, small steps. “Can I help you dear?” she asked. 

“Um yes, I'm trying to look up some information in the old newspapers.” I said, trying and failing to explain things the way I wanted to. The librarian, however, seemed to know exactly what I was talking about. She led me to a special computer where electronic scans of all the newspapers were. It was way back in the corner of the computer section. It was very secluded and I really liked it. I didn't really want to be around people while I was reading this. It would just be creepy. I sat down in the less than comfy, mass-produced swivel chair that the library provided, and cross-referenced the address of the house in the woods with the articles. I waited as the system processed the request, and was shocked when twenty results popped up. I had expected less than this. The first one was about the house being built in the 1900s by a wealthy oil baron for his daughter as a wedding present. There seemed to be something almost familiar about the oil baron. I studied the picture for a while longer before shaking my head and moving on to the next article. The next one was the tragedy of the new bride and her husband being murdered in the house. It said it was about ten months after their wedding. The wife had just had a baby when someone broke in and slit their throats. Only the baby survived and, the murderer was never caught. I scrolled down to the next article. Apparently, the house had remained empty until the 1940's – because that's when the next article was dated – when a man named Albert Cartwright bought it for his family. They had moved to the area from down south. Though the article didn't specify where. At the time the town was so small any change in the community would make the news. My baby sitter – one of my mother's elderly friends – had told me stories of the town when it was first founded. The family had all died in a car crash the day after the moved in. The driver of the other car had been drunk...in the middle of the day. That wasn't common in the forties since it was around the time of prohibitions ending and all that. It was just...strange. It continued on this way with every article I read. Everyone that ever owned the house had died in some horrific way. Many of them were strange or weird deaths. Finally, I came to the last article. It was posted ten years before we'd moved into our house. It was about a man buying the house again. I read the article worriedly. It talked about a man named Frank Pierce who moved into the house in 1990 after the birth of his first son. The next article talked about their tragedy, which is where the stories started. He was the father of three. His wife had died giving birth to their daughter and his middle son drowned in the lake just a bit further back in the woods. Apparently, he was arrested when his oldest son ran away at the age of eighteen and turned his father in for locking his baby sister in the tower of the house and slowly starving her. The article said that by the time they got there the deranged father was feeding a literal skeleton. 

I turned off the computer thoroughly disturbed. That was not what I had been hoping, or wanting to find. It definitely wasn't the way I'd expected the story to end either. I went up to the front desk and thanked the woman for letting me look at it before heading back to work. I wondered what happened to Frank Pierce's eldest son the one who was still alive. He'd turned his father in, but it never said what happened to him after that. He'd be about 26 by now. Ten years older than I am. Maybe he still lived in town. I could ask around. See what the people in town knew. I wished that I'd thought to ask the librarian. She'd probably know. Maybe he was the one looking at the house. Maybe he still owned it and was going to have it torn down because it brought up too many painful memories. And if that was true why had he kept it this long? Was it him I heard screaming? I was frustrated that the trip to the library had simply raised more questions than answers for me, but I figured at least I had a solid background on the house now. I walked back through the break room, double checking to make sure I took care of my things. “So did you find what you were looking for at the library?” Kelsey asked me as I walked back into the main floor. 

“Yeah.” I lied. I hadn't told Kelsey what was going on. She would've freaked and called the police. I didn't need the police involved. I could handle this myself. I was going to be fine. Plus there was technically nothing illegal going on – that I knew of anyway. 

“Great.” she said smiling. Her green eyes sparkling in the light. “Nobody's been in while you were gone, but Storks got over so I put in Tangled.” 

“Sounds great.” I said smiling. Kelsey and I really loved the same movies so we had no problem just watching whatever the other put in. I joined her behind the counter, sitting down at the desk area. “I'm going to make the calls,” I said. 

“Sounds good.” she replied. The calls I was referring to were calls to people with overdue movies. I started to go down the list, calling and leaving messages as I went. Once I finished Kelsey and I continued to work in silence for a while. 

“So...I heard someone was moving into the house in the woods.” she said to break the silence. 

“Possibly. I've only seen a car up there once.” I said casually, hoping she'd drop the subject if I acted uninterested. 

“Have you seen any people?” she asked, clearly not going to let it go. 

I tensed thinking about the man in the black hoodie. “No one.” I said forcing myself to relax. 

“Oh.” she said frowning. Her whole body just seemed to deflate, and I felt bad for lying to her. She was my best friend after all; I should be able to tell her these things. “That sucks. Nothing ever happens here.” 

“It's a small town Kels. What do you want to happen?” I laughed. 

“I don't know something exciting...like a murder! But...not a murder cause that would be awful, but like maybe a kidnapping.” She said. I was about to reply when the bell above the door jingled and we both went silent. This wasn't really a subject to talk about with a customer present. It was a guy we'd never seen before. He had tattoos covering his arms and his blonde hair pulled up in a small man bun on the top of his head. His ice blue eyes seemed to stare into your soul. He walked up to the counter confidence in every step. He never broke eye contact with me like a predator approaching his prey. My knees felt weak and I felt blood rush to my face. “C...can I help you?” I managed to get out. There was something about this guy. It was a niggling sense of recognition. But I couldn't figure out why. There was no way I'd ever seen this guy before. No way. 

“I'm looking for directions.” he said his eyes still staring into my soul. I couldn't figure out why he was staring at me so intently. Did I have something in my teeth? 

“Well, where are you trying to get too?” I asked, trying to remain calm. For some reason, despite the obvious attraction running through me there seemed to be a sense of fear as well. And that was all mixed with the weird recognition feeling. I tried to ignore it all though so I could focus on helping the godlike man before me. 

“I need to go to the store. I seem to be out of bleach.” he said. Though his voice had developed a weird tone. Almost like he wasn't saying something that he wanted to say. “I just moved to town, so I still get a bit lost.” 

“O...oh, where did you move in at?” I asked. I hoped it wasn't the house in the woods. Anywhere but there. 

“2340 Sycamore.” he said his gaze calculating my reaction. My eyes widened in shock. That was the house in the woods. Why? Why? 

“Oh well...yes...the...um...the store is down the street and a right on Burdick.” I said trying to keep my hands from shaking. Was he the man in the hoodie I'd seen? Was that what the sense of fear was about or was it something else? I tried to stop my mind from racing. All of this was doing me no good. I needed to focus on my job, not silly things in the past or stupid houses or Adonises that move in next door to me in the aforementioned stupid houses. 

“What's your name?” Kelsey asked before he left. We both waited for an answer. 

He paused, seeming to think about it. “...Call me Kelly.” he pushed open the door and left. And it was like I could suddenly breathe again. 

“Well I guess that answers that question.” Kelsey said, turning to look at me. I was still in a daze. “He moved into the house in the woods.” 

“Yeah.” I breathed out. “He did.” I kept trying to turn off my mind, but it wasn't working. Finally, I just gave up and let it run as I worked on mindless things. 

After that the day just seemed to be a blur. I don't really remember what happened. I worked for three more hours and then left for the night, but I can't tell you if anyone came in or if I and Kelsey talked or anything. I went home and Steel practically knocked me over as soon as I walked in the door. I checked his food and water, took him out, but he still was completely stir crazy. I sighed and grabbed his leash. I put it on him, deciding we should go for a walk. I was still feeling anxious but maybe it would get better if I was out of the house. As we walked; I wondered about Kelly. Was he related to the Pierce family? Did he know them? Had he bought the house from the oldest Pierce son? Did he know what the screaming was about in the middle of the night? I shuddered as I thought about how he stared at me. I think that the picture of his eyes was burned into my mind. It hadn't been with lust; I'd seen lust before. A former co-worker had been after Kelsey for months. I knew what it looked like. It'd been with a hunger that Kelly looked at me. Like he wanted to eat me, but not literally. It was like he was hungry to see me. I don't know exactly how to explain it. Like, think of a man who gets lost okay. When he finally finds his way home and sees the ones he loves again. Kelly's face looked like that. I shook my head as we rounded the corner and my house came back into view. We kept walking as my thoughts continued to wander. I let myself in the house. I closed the door and took off Steel's leash, letting him run off the play or sleep or whatever. I could hear him lapping up water as I set the keys in the bowl on top of the microwave that I used to hold all my random stuff. I walked further into the kitchen and opened up the refrigerator. I grabbed some vegetables out of the cooler and made a salad. It was lettuce, carrots, mushrooms, olives, and some cheese and ranch dressing. I went to sit down in my chair again. I didn't really have anything better to do than work on my poetry and watch Netflix. I picked up the remote and turned on the TV. I flipped through the channels to see if there was anything interesting on the actual television before turning on the Wii and starting Netflix. I scrolled through all my shows searching for anything that looked good. Finally, I decided to start The Addams Family. It was definitely a favorite, though I liked the second one better. I moved to set the remotes on the end table next to me. My hand brushed something, and I frowned when I saw my phone sitting on there. I could've sworn I left it plugged in on the counter. I looked at the counter. My charger was still plugged in. Though I left it plugged in all the time. It was just easier. It had needed to charge when I got home, and I could've sworn I had plugged it in...but I guess not. I paused the movie and walked over to the counter plugging it in now. I went back to my seat and Steel padded over from sniffing around the house. He laid down at my feet as I started the movie again. I picked up my computer and turned it on. I waited as it went through its normal startup screens. I entered my password and opened a new word document. I tried to figure out a way to put the feelings from my day into a poem. I sighed as nothing came to me. I couldn't focus. The sun was getting closer and closer to the horizon and it was making me anxious. I eventually gave up and turned off my computer. I watched the movie for a while but got bored with it, since I couldn't focus. Giving up on anything for the night I went to my room and climbed in bed – not even bothering to change. Maybe I'd actually be able to get some sleep tonight. 

The screaming started again that night. At least I'd gotten a couple hours of sleep before it started this time. All I could do was lay there and listen to it. It sounded closer this time. Definitely a male voice. It sounded like they were in agonizing pain like someone was dying, or had died. I watched the clock as the minutes ticked by and still, the screaming didn't stop. Even as the minutes turned to hours. I didn't know how someone could scream for so long without losing their voice. If I ever met the person I'd have to ask them. It was like the person was mourning. Though who or what they were mourning I had no idea. It was so strange as long as I'd lived here I'd never heard so much as a sound from the woods, but then Kelly moves in and there are constant screams. My mind drifted through all the terrible stories I'd read about the house at the library. It was like it was cursed or something. I couldn't focus on getting back to sleep. Too many thoughts rushed through my head. There were still too many unknowns about the house and what was going on. I threw off my pink blankets and went to the bathroom. Though I really didn't want to leave my bed. I turned on the cold water cupping my hands and splashing it on my face. I know that's normally done to wake yourself up, but I was hot and I was hoping that it'd help. I was so nervous and jumpy. My heart was pounding out of my chest. It didn't help so I sat down on the toilet just done with life in general. This needed to stop now. I had half a mind to march into the woods and find the screamer and strangle them. I need my sleep! If I'd been a braver person I probably would have, but as it was I stayed where I was – on the toilet. I studied the leaf pattern on the wall in front of me. It was paneling, but it had leaves falling down it making it look like fall. The leaves were all done in browns and reds. A couple of orange ones scattered through it. I had wanted to paint over it, but I just couldn't bring myself too since my parents had loved the paneling. My mom always commented on how it matched the dark wood of the sink. I think my favorite part of the bathroom was the tub. It was a corner tub, roman style deep and big. It had jets built into it so it could also be a Jacuzzi, but the thing I loved even more than that was the mirrors surrounding it. It made the whole area look bigger. There was a walk in shower too – which was nice –, but the tub was by far my favorite. 

It was at that moment I realized the screaming had stopped. It was like my silent prayers had been answered. I opened the window to listen, wanting to make sure it wasn't just wishful thinking. A twig snapped in the woods. My eyes searched for the source of the sound. As well as I could in the dark anyway. There was nothing there. My heart slowed down after it had sped up. Everything was okay. The screaming had stopped. We were okay now. I looked toward the house. There was a light on in the tower. From what I could see it looked like someone was standing in front of the one window in the tower...which faced my house...my bathroom...Was Kelly standing there watching me? And as soon as I'd noticed the person they were gone. I shook my head and walked back to my room. This was getting ridiculous. I couldn't deal with this screaming anymore. I needed to get some sleep. Otherwise, I might literally die.


End file.
